Match stats: Crewe Alexandra v Grimsby

Saturday 11 February 2017

Division 4

Comley and, above all, Osborne are innocent of crimes against Townanity. They had heart, they had soul, they had character. Let them shop in peace this week.

Others? You, the jury, decide.

Our gaffer says

"I needed to go over to thank our supporters at the end. We are very appreciative and I have always had a relationship – whether playing or managing – with the supporters. They've paid their hard earned money and worked all week - travelled across to Crewe for an absolutely disappointing result."

There is nothing to extract that will make you happy. Town fell into the Crewe trap and just stayed there.

We needed an old head to steady the sieve, but when the matelots looked around they only saw themselves staring back. No direction, no leadership, nothing but little boys withering in the wet, crying. Collins and Davies played like old men, with Collins discomfitted by playing in a back three and then at de facto left-back. Davies is not a wingback, he stands too far forward.

There is one question, and one question only, to ask in relation to Grimsby Town: WWABD? The answer is the opposite of every decision taken today and yesterday and tomorrow. And look where we are now under Bignot: two decent half games receding into the distance, an organisational mess with physically and mentally feeble footballers.

But in a sieve they'll thither sail, and like a rat without a tail, they'll do, they'll do, and they'll do.

Them

Crewe were walking back to happiness.

They do, indeed, have better players, and Town allowed them to show it. They are like Colchester: capable of sweeping teams aside with free-flowing sexy-ball, but one has a question over their durability. Town never even thought about thinking about asking them any questions, being a willing sap, a dupe, a collective conspirator in a plan to save their bacon.

It is plain daft that they are even flirting with thoughts of the Bananarama. Should stay up without breaking stride, should be above Town, who didn’t break stride.

Grimsby 'til I die... or cry?

They whistled and warbled a moony song to the echoing sound of a coppery gong, for they knew that all they saw was wrong and Newport on Tuesday will be a chore no more.

Official warning

Mr M Salisbury

The man had heart, he kept added time to the minimum and allowed Town one free hit each before flagging yellow. A truly compassionate man would have abandoned the game after, ooh, three minutes for cruelty to domestic pets. A number? Why not 7.999?